A COUNCIL will launch a week of virtual social care recruitment sessions on Monday.

The online sessions aim to give social workers, from newly qualified to managerial level, the chance to speak to the Blackburn with Darwen borough team and find out more about the roles available.

The move follows a snap Ofsted inspection which gave the council children's services department a generally good report.

But it highlighted that that caseloads on social workers were too high and delays in actingwhen young people suffered neglect in families.

Jayne Ivory, Blackburn with Darwen's director of children’s services, said: "There’s a great deal of work going on to ensure our social work teams are fully supported.

"We have brought in additional staffing resources and have fast-tracked newly qualified social workers into posts to help support and manage caseloads.

"Our staff have access to some of the latest technology to ensure that our work has carried on, whether that’s a virtual visit or meeting. All of this has taken place alongside our regular face-to-face visits to the children and families who need our help and protection the most.

"Managers are also ensuring workloads in the service are reviewed every week to ensure staff have more manageable caseloads.

"For anyone thinking of a change in role or starting out their social work career, we’d love to hear from you.

"We are a really friendly department with an ethos where colleagues very much support one another."